The Spell You Cast (DISCONTINUED)
by Luna the Zekrom
Summary: The legacy each cat leaves behind is told in stories for generations to come... Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight want to have kits, but a witch named Mapleshade has cursed their family, and will only lift the spell if they bring her four cats: one with fur as black as night, one with claws as strong as a lion's, one with eyes as green as glass, and one with a heart as pure as gold.


AN: Hi there, and thanks for reading my story! This is actually a story written for a challenge titled "Crazy Crossovers" for the Clan Cat Café, which is a forum filled with awesome ways to improve your writing, and even more awesome people. If you're interested in constructive criticism, then I would completely recommend checking out the Café.

Other than that, I don't have much to say except that I hope you read, review, and most importantly, enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, Into the Woods, or any characters from either literary work.

Chapter One: Into the Woods

_"__Once upon a time, at the edge of a far-off forest, there lived a young tomcat and his mate, in a den at the foot of the hills."_

A young tom with a dark brown tabby pelt emerged from the bushes, stretching and flexing his unusually long, hooked claws. The morning air was crisp, but the leaves were sparkling with dew, not frost, a sign that new-leaf might be on the way.

_Perhaps this new-leaf we will finally have kits, _thought the warrior cat ruefully, glancing back into the bushes where his mate was still resting.

_"__They wanted to have kits more than anything in the world, but it seemed they would never be able to. They had been trying for several moons now, without success."_

"I wish…" said the tabby tom wistfully, tail lashing once in frustration. He stood daydreaming for a moment longer before giving his pelt a shake. He should be hunting, rather than wasting the day away hoping for something that would never happen. The warrior scented the air, deciding that it would be a nice surprise for Squirrelflight, his mate, if he brought her back a mouse or two. He tried his best to push his longing away, but he knew it would always be there, haunting him like a dark cloud.

"Brambleclaw," a familiar voice called to him from the bushes, and Squirrelflight appeared, her ginger pelt blazing like a fire in the dawn light. Her green eyes glimmered teasingly. "Thought you'd leave me behind, didn't you?"

"I was just going to bring you some fresh-kill—" he protested, but she nudged his shoulder before he could say anything else, purring affectionately.

"I know you meant well, mouse-brain," Squirrelflight reassured him. "But I can hunt for myself." She bounded off up the hill near their den ahead of him, glancing back once to make sure Brambleclaw was following before dashing off another few tail-lengths. He trailed after her more slowly, yawning. How did she always have so much energy, even before the sun was fully up?

Squirrelflight led the way over the hill, scenting the air as she waded through the tall grass. Her ears pricked, twitching slightly.

Brambleclaw drew in the air over his scent glands as well. He caught the whiff of a squirrel and his mouth watered. It was good luck to find a squirrel, especially when it was leaf-bare. The dark brown tabby narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping the hillside until he spotted a rustling in the grass near the trees at the foot of the slope.

He flicked his tail at his mate, who nodded in understanding and slipped away towards the trees. Brambleclaw himself prowled stealthily around the opposite edge of the tall grass. Together they would corner their prey, and Squirrelflight would drive it straight into his claws.

The squirrel suddenly became still as they approached, flagging its tail nervously. Brambleclaw's amber gaze met Squirrelflight's green eyes over its head, and the ginger she-cat charged the squirrel. With a squeak of alarm, it turned and fled right towards Brambleclaw, who pounced and pinned the prey, biting the back of its neck.

"Nice catch," exclaimed Squirrelflight, bounding over to her mate.

"It was both of ours, really," replied the dark brown tabby modestly.

Both cats froze as they heard a rustling in the bushes. Brambleclaw growled low in his throat as he scented the air and smelled another cat. Squirrelflight's ears flattened and she turned to face the trees with a hiss.

A small black she-cat emerged from the trees, ears pricked with interest. "Hello there," she chirped cheerfully as she caught sight of Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, not seeming to notice their hostility. Brambleclaw remained suspicious, but his mate looked more curious, tilting her head to one side.

"Wow, you two must be amazing hunters!" the little black cat went on, her bright green gaze falling on the squirrel. Brambleclaw curled his claws over it protectively. He wouldn't put it past this cheerful kit to steal his prey.

"Can I have that squirrel, please?" asked the black cat, eyes hopeful, as if in direct response to his thoughts. "Not for me, but for my grandmother. She lives in the woods and she's such a super-old cat that she can't hunt for herself anymore. Mother told me to catch some prey and bring it to her, but I don't know how to catch anything. Can I please have your squirrel, please…?"

"Squirrelflight—" Brambleclaw began, seeing the gleam of sympathy in his mate's eyes, but he knew it was too late to try to change her mind.

_"__Squirrelflight, because she wanted a kit of her own so badly, had been instantly charmed by the little black kitten."_

"We can catch another," she replied briskly. "Here, if you can't hunt for yourself, I'll catch you something to eat as well." She turned and disappeared into the tall grass with a new sense of purpose, her tail held high. Brambleclaw gave a resigned sigh as he gazed off in the direction she had gone.

"Little kit," he said impatiently, nudging the black kitten's tail with one hooked talon. "What's your name?" He thought it would be best to warn her off his territory so she wouldn't wheedle some more prey out of Squirrelflight in the future. If it was green-leaf, when hunting was good, he wouldn't have minded sharing, but in leaf-bare, prey was scarce enough without worrying about a kit who couldn't hunt for herself.

"I'm not sure I'm supposed to talk to strangers…" she replied doubtfully. But before Brambleclaw could say anything, the kitten waved her tail. "But you and your mate are so nice, so you can't possibly be a bad cat! I'm Hollypaw!"

"Well, Hollypaw—" Brambleclaw began, scowling to appear more serious—how could he scare her off his territory if she thought he was nice when he had been about to refuse to share his prey?—but the rustle of grass announced Squirrelflight's return, with a mouse dangling from her jaws, before he could say anything.

"There you go," Squirrelflight said proudly, depositing the fresh-kill at Hollypaw's feet. "Now, are you certain of your way?"

"The way is clear," Hollypaw promised cheerfully. "The light is good! I have no fear, nor no one should. The woods are just trees; the trees are just wood." She said the words matter-of-factly, as if they had been repeated to her many times.

"But the forest cats won't appreciate you crossing their territory," Squirrelflight fretted, while Brambleclaw rolled his amber eyes. The kit had been alone before she had encountered them; she wouldn't be in any more danger now!

"Mother has showed me a path between the territories of other cats," Hollypaw reassured the ginger she-cat. "The path is straight; I know it well."

"Alright," Squirrelflight said, giving the black kitten a lick between the ears. "Be safe! If you lose your way in the woods, you can always come back to us."

Hollypaw nodded obediently, but Brambleclaw could tell she was impatient to get going, which he was secretly glad of. _The sooner this kit gets out of our fur, the better, _he thought, _before Squirrelflight wants to adopt her. _"You'd best be going," he told the kitten, shooing her with his tail, "if you want to be out of the woods by dark."

Hollypaw chirped her thanks once more before bounding off into the trees with the mouse and squirrel clamped by their tails in her jaws. Whether any would be left to reach her grandmother in the woods, Brambleclaw could only wonder.

"She's a thief!" he complained to Squirrelflight.

"Hush," she scolded, swatting him with her tail.

_"__Meanwhile, at the edge of the same forest, there also lived a beautiful young she-cat. Some said she had a heart as pure as gold. But after her mother had died, her father had taken a new mate, a she-cat who had kits of her own."_

A silver tabby she-cat stood at the edge of the trees, gazing longingly into the depths of the woods. "I wish…" she whispered hopefully.

A pale brown tabby stalked out from the shadows between the trees, yellow eyes gleaming cruelly. "You want to go to the gathering, don't you?" she hissed at the silver tabby with vague disgust. Her gaze flickered over the other cat balefully. "Why would any cat take you as his mate, much less the deputy?"

_"__She wanted to go to the gathering, which was to be held for three nights in the forest, by the deputy of ThunderClan, Ashfur. Once he had chosen a mate from the cats who were to attend, he would become leader of his Clan so the current leader could retire. It was a once in a lifetime experience, for cats outside the Clans were only allowed to attend a gathering when a new leader was going to rise."_

_Mrrows_ of malicious amusement came from the bushes, and the silver tabby whipped around to see two pairs of eyes reflecting flashes of light back at her. A black she-cat emerged from the bushes, soon followed by her sister, a bright ginger cat. The two prowled around the silver tabby, jabbing at her with their paws and purring nastily when she flinched away from them.

_"__The she-cat's father had died not long after he had taken his new mate, leaving his daughter all alone with her cruel stepsisters and stepmother."_

"We should let her come," hissed the black she-cat, tail lashing. When the silver tabby looked up at her in surprise, she added, "Only so she'll be crushed when the deputy chooses one of us instead of her!"

"Good one, Nightcloud," her sister replied with savage pleasure. Her green eyes twinkled with malice as she cuffed the silver tabby around the ears with a hint of claws. Their mother watched with detached interest, tail flicking as her jaws parted in a yawn. She didn't leap to the silver cat's defense, and the tabby didn't expect her to. She had been bullied by her so-called family for too long to expect anyone to be on her side.

"I'll tell you what," said her stepmother, shouldering Nightcloud and her sister out of the way impatiently. "If you make yourself presentable by the time we're ready to leave, you can come with us." She turned around and kicked out at the silver cat with powerful hind paws, sending her sprawling onto the dusty ground.

"Yes, Lizardstripe," the silver tabby muttered, bowing her head so she wouldn't look hostile. Her pelt was aflame with embarrassment, but she tried to hide it.

Nightcloud and her sister let out _mrrows_ of laughter.

"Nightcloud, Foxheart," their mother called, beckoning them with an impatient flick of her tabby-striped tail. "Stop fooling around and get ready to leave."

Foxheart, the ginger she-cat, glared at her mother with an indignant huff, while Nightcloud merely rolled her eyes and stalked off towards the tree line. The silver tabby got to her paws, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. Her pelt was tattered from being pushed around by her stepsisters, but she tried to groom it as best as she could.

No matter what she did, however, the ends of her fur were scraggly. She looked ugly, despite her shining silver coloration. _This'll have to do, _she thought meekly, fixing her claws, which were stunted from scraping mold off the den walls, and darting up to Lizardstripe as her stepmother began to walk off towards the trees.

"Can I please go to the gathering with you?" she begged.

Lizardstipe gave her a dirty look. "I told you to make yourself presentable. Look at your fur! Look at your claws! You won't ever look good enough!"

The silver tabby flattened her ears in shame. She glanced at her reflection in the puddle of rainwater that always gathered in the ditch by their den. Lizardstripe was right—she would never be able to make herself pretty in time.

Lizardstripe called sharply for her daughters, and they bounded up to her, eyes bright with excitement at the thought of the gathering. "Have a good time cleaning the den while we're gone, Feathertail," Foxheart sneered at her stepsister. Nightcloud gave an appreciative snort of amusement, swatting the silver tabby with her tail as she went by, but Feathertail was too upset that she couldn't go with them to really notice. She sat down and looked at her paws, numb with disappointment.

"I wish…" she sighed, closing her eyes sadly. There was no way she would be able to the gathering without her family to guide her there. Unless…

"That's it!" she exclaimed quietly, her crystal blue eyes flying open. "I'll visit my mother's grave at the river! I'll tell her I want to go to the gathering, and she'll find a way to send me there! I have to take the journey..." She leapt to her paws and dashed off into the trees, tail held high with excitement.

_"__On yet another side of the forest, there lived a tom kit with his mother. Their territory was prey-poor, especially in leaf-bare, and they struggled to survive."_

"You're a strong kit, Lionpaw," said a dusky brown she-cat firmly, lashing her tail as she glared down at her son. The golden tabby cowered at her paws, ears flat. "You'll have to go to the woods and do some work for another cat."

"But the woods are scary…" he protested weakly.

"But if we don't trade for prey, we'll starve," snapped his mother. "You have no other choice! Besides, you mustn't be a coward! Now go!"

She shepherded Lionpaw towards the trees, and he went along reluctantly, giving her a wounded look over his shoulder. His mother sighed wearily. What was going on inside that kit's head? He was as strong as his namesake, built with heavy shoulders and sturdy claws that were never torn loose from their sheaths, even when they got snagged on something. There was no reason for him to be afraid!

But Lionpaw gulped fearfully as he imagined wild cats who ate bones lurking in the shadows. He darted skittishly between the trees, his tail puffed out. _I'll have to distract myself somehow, _he thought, ears flattened as he forced himself to slow down, taking one shaky pawstep at a time. _I know; I'll sing a song._

"The way is clear," he whispered, trying to convince himself. "The light is good… I have no fear… nor no one should…"

_"__Meanwhile, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight attempted to return to their hunt, hopefully to catch something for themselves this time. But the field was empty, so they decided to hunt in the other direction. However, as they returned to their den, another cat was already waiting for them."_

"Who's that?" Brambleclaw growled under his breath to his mate, his long claws sliding out of their sheaths. The cat waiting for them at the foot of the hill was a she-cat with matted tortoiseshell fur. Even from on top of the hill, Brambleclaw could tell that her unsheathed claws were yellowed and caked with dirt.

"Wait!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, barring Brambleclaw's way with her tail as he crouched, ready to charge the battered old cat. "Maybe we should try to reason with her before we attack." Her eyes were troubled, and he could tell she had misgivings about driving away an elder. But she was a trespasser, and Brambleclaw thought they must have been too lenient in the past if two cats had invaded their territory on the same day. Still, he reluctantly sheathed his claws before prowling down the slope to confront the invader, his neck fur bristling warily.

"It's about time," the tortoiseshell spat as she noticed him, turning a fierce amber gaze on him. He blinked in surprise, having not expected such a vicious reaction from a cat so old. She responded with a snarl and a malevolent sparkle in her eyes.

"This is my territory," Brambleclaw snarled back, furious at her outright hostility when she was the one who was trespassing. Squirrelflight came bounding up behind him, her tail bushed out. She seemed spooked by the hostility that both her mate and the old cat seemed to radiate, stopping a few tail-lengths away and beginning to knead the ground with her paws anxiously.

"What do you wish from us?" she called to the matted old cat.

"It's not what I wish," the tortoiseshell hissed gleefully, narrowing her runny eyes at them. "It's what you wish. You aren't expecting kits of your own now, are you?"

Squirrelflight flinched as if struck, making Brambleclaw unsheathe his claws. No cat, however elderly, messed with Squirrelflight and got away with it.

"Oh, stop it; put those away," said the old cat, eyeing his claws distastefully. "I'm not trying to start a fight here. I'm just trying to make a point."

"What point?" Brambleclaw snapped, lashing his tail.

"I've placed a curse on the lot of you," the old cat replied disdainfully.

"What curse?" asked Squirrelflight quietly, seeming slightly shaken by the old cat's words, although she bravely tried to hide it. "Are you a witch?"

The tortoiseshell tipped her head to one side thoughtfully. "You could call me that," she replied eventually, flicking her gnarled tail. "But I'd much rather be called by my real name. It's Mapleshade."

"Why would you curse us?" Brambleclaw asked her, grudging curiosity replacing the aggression in his voice. His fierce amber eyes were still gleaming defensively, but he wanted answers more than he wanted a fight. While Mapleshade didn't seem willing to reply to his hostile demanding, Squirrelflight's politely inquiring tone seemed to be working. It was worth a try, Brambleclaw decided reluctantly, sheathing his claws. "We haven't done anything to you."

"The curse isn't just on the two of you," Mapleshade replied, with an edge of cruel amusement in her words. "It's on your entire family tree now. Forevermore, it shall be barren, and die with the two of you."

Squirrelflight flattened her ears, looking stricken.

"But why?" Brambleclaw demanded, fighting to control his temper.

"In the past," Mapleshade began, "before you were born, your father and mother made their home here on this hill. They were the perfect pair, but not such perfect neighbors. When your mother was expecting kits, she craved a certain plant called catmint, which is known for its sweet smell, and even better taste. And that was when your father stole from me." The old she-cat paused for a moment, her eyes glinting with distant memory, before she scowled and lashed her tail.

"My territory," she explained to them, "is full of many different herbs, each with their own use and importance to me. Your father thought I wouldn't notice if he snuck in and stole some of my catmint! But I was sharper than he thought, and so when I noticed it had been taken, I waited for him to return to my garden. Thieves like him are never satisfied with what they have! When came back to steal from me again, I caught him in the act!" She flexed her claws, and Brambleclaw gave a start as he felt them snag his pelt even though Mapleshade was standing a few tail-lengths away from him.

"If he hadn't been selfish, he would have never been caught," the old cat snarled impatiently. "And so I told him, 'You can have the catmint, but I will ask something for something in return. If you take the catmint, you are bound to this oath.' He made the promise and hastily fled my garden." Mapleshade's eyes glittered with satisfaction.

"But if all they owed you was a favor," Squirrelflight spoke up, "then why did you curse Brambleclaw's family? Why go back on your word?" Although Brambleclaw could tell that she was frightened of the old cat, Squirrelflight's voice was confident, perhaps even a little challenging. Part of his heart swelled with pride at her bravery and sense of justice, but another part of him was worried for her as well. For all they knew, showing the witch impertinence could be a fatal mistake.

But Mapleshade only seemed slightly annoyed by his mate's questions. "I didn't break my promise," she spat. "_He_ did. I told him he could take some of the catmint, but _only_ the catmint. I let him go, but I didn't know he'd stolen my beans too!"

"Beans?" Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight echoed in unison, exchanging puzzled glances. Why would any cat want to steal beans?

"The special beans," Mapleshade hissed, getting worked up. "When I inherited my mother's garden, she put a spell on me. She said that if I lost any of her magic beans, I would become old and ugly." She lashed her tail bitterly. "Like I am now."

She paused for a long moment, her face unreadable. Brambleclaw's emotions were a mix of puzzled curiosity about the rest of the witch's story, bitter satisfaction that she had been cursed as badly as she had cursed them, and guilt on behalf of his father's crime. He wasn't sure what to think, or what he _should_ think. Was it really fair to hate Mapleshade for cursing his family when it was their own fault that she had been cursed herself? It seemed justified to him, even though he wanted to be able to blame her.

"So I tracked down your father," Mapleshade continued rather suddenly, making Brambleclaw jump. "I knew that no cat would want to even be near me when I looked like this. I was right. Your parents were terrified when I paid them a little visit. I asked them to do me the favor they had promised right then and there, by giving me back my beans. I hoped that I would become beautiful again if I got them back."

"It didn't work?" Squirrelflight asked softly, her voice quavering but sympathetic. Brambleclaw's heart sank. If his mate wasn't holding a grudge against Mapleshade, he knew that he shouldn't either. Squirrelflight was the cat with the best heart he knew; she only did whatever she thought was right, no matter what her personal feelings on the matter were. He knew that had to do the right thing too, even if it meant forgiving the witch, which seemed impossible.

Mapleshade hissed. "It might have," she spat. "But his father refused! He didn't give them back, insisting that I had never told him that he couldn't take them. He was afraid of me; he wanted power over me. He wanted to keep my beans so he would have something I wanted, something he could use as leverage to control me."

"I could have cursed him right there," she went on in a low snarl. "I _should_ have! I could have turned him into a stone, or a mouse, or anything really. But I decided on a better punishment. You see, his mother was close to kitting. I decided that it was only fair that when she gave birth, they would give me one of their kits."

Squirrelflight gasped in horror, and Mapleshade scowled at her. "I didn't want to be alone forever," she snapped defensively, "isolated by my ugly appearance. If I had a kit, it would love me no matter what I looked like. I knew I would never have a kit of my own, so theirs would have to do. So when his mother gave birth, I stole one of her kits."

"One of them?" Brambleclaw echoed, shocked and horrified. "I had a brother?"

"No," Mapleshade replied nastily. "But you did have a sister."

"Where is she?" Brambleclaw demanded, unsheathing his claws with a low growl. All his sympathy for her past and his misgivings about blaming the witch were gone, replaced by pure hatred. "What have you done with my sister?!"

"She's mine now!" hissed Mapleshade fiercely. "And I hid her where you'll never find her… But that doesn't matter now. I cursed the rest of your family—gaining the kit for my own wasn't enough to mollify me—that you would all be barren. And I see that my curse has proven strong, for you have no kits of your own." She paused, looking at their crestfallen faces with cruel satisfaction.

"But—" the witch continued suddenly, her matted tail flicking from side to side. "There is a way to reverse the curse. I'll remove it for you if you bring me something I need. If there's one thing your father taught me with his clever tricks and manipulation, it's that there is power in having something that someone wants."

"How do we lift the spell?" Brambleclaw asked warily.

"I'll need a certain potion first," Mapleshade told him. "Go to the wood and bring me back four cats. First, the cat with fur as black as night; second, the one with claws as strong as a lion's; third, a cat with eyes as green as glass; and lastly, the cat with a heart as pure as gold. When you bring these cats to me, I will lift the curse, and I promise that you will have kits of your own. Now go!" In a puff of smoke, the witch vanished.

"I never promised you anything!" Brambleclaw yowled after her, not wanting to be like his father, who claimed that he hadn't known the full extent of the promise he had made to the witch. He didn't want to lose whatever he and Squirrelflight already had trying to get something more that they didn't even need. That would be selfish and foolish of him, and he wouldn't be surprised if it backfired on them. "I never said I'd do it!" But the witch was long gone and didn't seem to hear him. Brambleclaw let out a frustrated sigh as he dug his hooked claws into the ground.

"What do you mean, you never said you'd do it?" Squirrelflight demanded with a fierce lash of her tail. "We have to, Brambleclaw! Do you want a kit or not?!"

"Of course I want a kit," snapped the dark brown tabby, glaring at his mate. "But don't you see how dangerous it is to make a promise to that cat?!"

She flattened her ears. "Dangerous or not, it seems we already made the promise. Even if we hadn't,_ I_ would have in a heartbeat. Don't be a coward, Brambleclaw. We're going to the woods, and we're going to find the cats Mapleshade wanted us to bring to her. If we want kits of our own, we have no other choice."

"_I _have no other choice," Brambleclaw corrected her. "You're not coming!"

"The spell is on both of us," Squirrelflight shot back, lashing her tail. "As far as I'm aware, you won't be able to have these kits by yourself. That means that the spell is on both of us. You're not leaving me behind!"

"Mapleshade placed the spell on _me_," Brambleclaw argued, flattening his ears at her stubbornness. "_My_ family tree is cursed, not yours, Squirrelflight. That means only I can lift the spell!"

"We must lift the spell together," she insisted fiercely. "The spell is on both of us now!"

"It's too dangerous," Brambleclaw meowed decisively. "I'm going into the woods alone, and that's final." He tried to remember what it was that he was supposed to find, but his argument with Squirrelflight had caused him to forget. He grudgingly turned back to his mate. "What were the things I'm supposed to bring back?"

She sighed in exasperation. "You don't remember?"

"No," Brambleclaw replied, rolling his eyes. "I forgot because you were being so stubborn about wanting to come. Can you please tell me what they were?"

"Nope," Squirrelflight meowed cheerfully. "If you can't remember, you won't be able to find them on your own. I'll come with you into the woods, and I'll tell you what they are when we find them! Come on, let's go!" She bounded off up the slope with her tail held triumphantly high. Brambleclaw's heart sank as he realized there was no way he could possibly leave her behind now. _She's too clever for her own good, _he thought in frustration, following her.

She was waiting for him at the edge of the trees, her green eyes glimmering with satisfaction. Brambleclaw glowered at her. She didn't take the danger they would face on their quest seriously enough. "Let's go," he growled, shouldering past her as he went into the darkness of the trees. She trotted alongside him, seemingly unbothered.

"Into the woods," Brambleclaw said quietly to himself, reminding himself of what they had to do. "Into the woods, and out of the woods, and home before dark."


End file.
